


Red

by Raisin_brans



Category: Naruto
Genre: Abandonment Issues, Arguing, Established Relationship, Family Issues, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Smut, Panic Attacks, Safeword Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-04-30
Packaged: 2020-02-10 02:52:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18651418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raisin_brans/pseuds/Raisin_brans
Summary: The fight was meaningless, Tobirama couldn’t even remember what had triggered it. Distantly, he replayed their match in his head, but that wasn’t important right now. Right now his mind was spiraling and all he could think of was the sight of Izuna’s retreating form and the waves of hurt and disappointment rolling off of him.





	Red

The fight was meaningless, Tobirama couldn’t even remember what had triggered it. Distantly, he replayed their match in his head, but that wasn’t important right now. Right now his mind was spiraling and all he could think of was the sight of Izuna’s retreating form and the waves of hurt and disappointment rolling off of him.

~~~~~~~~

Izuna finished applying his eyeliner with a subtle little wing as he prepared for their dinner tonight. Hikaku had finally decided to open a restaurant, breaking with his old career, and Izuna wanted to go and support him on his grand opening. What better way than to take his boyfriend on a dinner date? 

“Tobi,” he called into the hallway, “are you ready to go?” He threw his ponytail over his shoulder, shrugging on a slightly dressy jacket. Reaching the door to Tobirama’s office, Izuna peeked in, seeing his white-haired lover hunched over his desk in a t-shirt. 

“Go where? I have a phone call in 15 minutes.” Tobirama answered, looking over his shoulder with a bemused and slightly agitated look on his face. 

Izuna stepped into the room, confused. “To Hikaku’s place,” he replied, “it’s the grand opening, remember? I told you a few days ago…” It was disappointing, the family was so important to both of them, and Izuna thought that Tobirama would understand the need to be there for moral support on such a big day for his closest cousin. 

Tobirama’s face contorted in a frown. “Well, clearly you forgot to let me in on this little secret.” It was true that he had been busier lately, but there was no way that he would have forgotten something like this. “I don’t like being called forgetful” he ground out, annoyance seeping into his body.

Izuna’s eyebrow twitched a little at the remark. “I’m very sure I told you” he bit, “I’ll call you forgetful when you forget things.” He would be lying if he said he wasn’t upset. “Ignoring your boyfriend isn’t a good look on you.” Any other time Izuna would have been shocked at the venom in his own voice.

Immediately, Tobirama looked as though he had been doused in freezing water, the stormy look sipping off his face, but before Izuna could apologize, an even stonier look took its place. 

“I’m *so* sorry I’m busy working to support your little hobby” he hissed. It was a low blow and Tobirama knew it. Izuna had taken abuse in almost every area of his life for his dedication to makeup artistry, with his father threatening to disown him when he enrolled in cosmetology school. Only Madara’s word had kept him in the family. His practice was rather popular, but it couldn’t make the kind of money they both needed.

Izuna’s breath hitched. “Pardon me for wanting to support my family,” he said, “you should try it sometime.” Another low blow. “How is Kawarama by the way?” 

The mean spirited question seemed to have its intended effect as Tobirama stood from his chair, knocking it over in the process. “Don’t talk about him!” he shouted, “You have no right!”

Kawarama was a sore subject and Izuna knew it, as soon as the words were out of his mouth he could feel a shooting pain in his heart, made worse by his lover's reaction. Tobirama’s twin brother had run away from home in their youth, barely sparing a ‘goodbye’ for his closest brother. It had taken almost a decade to find him, and by then the feelings of loss and betrayal weren’t so easily soothed. 

Izuna may have felt bad for his boyfriend, but he was still angry and didn’t fully trust himself in the house. “I won’t then,” he said simply, turning around to leave, at least he could support his cousin on his own. He made it all of 4 steps before he heard a quiet whimper behind him. 

“Red…”

 

All thoughts of the last 10 minutes flew out of Izuna’s head as he wheeled around on his heels. He was greeted with a pitiful sight, Tobirama sinking to his knees, chest tight, and eyes blew out in panic. Their fight didn’t matter, being ignored didn’t matter, Tobirama mattered, and he called their safeword.

Tobirama couldn't believe himself. Never in his life had he felt so childish and mortified. His vision fuzzed as Izuna came back to him, but he couldn't fully process it through the haze. All he could muster the will to do was keep whispering “red” over and over as though it were a binding spell.

A warm hand settled between his shoulder blades, just as it had done many many nights before. “Tobi, sweetie?” Izuna’s soft voice said, “I’m here.” He knew this was his fault, that he had stepped over a very deep line in his annoyance. Feelings of inadequacy washed over him in burning waves, but he suppressed them, more focused on de-escalating the situation at hand. Detailed talks could wait, Tobirama needed him steady right now. 

“I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, please don’t leave” Tobirama's voice was cracked and strained around the begging. Even during their actual scenes, it was rare for him to safeword, so doing so in their regular life was completely unthinkable up until now. “I didn’t mean to use the word-”

“Shh,” Izuna soothed, rubbing his hand in long stretches along Tobirama’s back, trying to slow his breathing. “I’m still here...not going anywhere.” His mind ran through the last few minutes, prioritizing what Tobirama needed to hear from him right now. First, addressing the safeword. “You did the right thing, we have a safeword so we can stop when things get out of hand” he murmured, letting his fingers dance in the soft hair at the base of Tobirama's head. 

Tobirama hid his face in the warm space between Izuna’s neck and shoulder, too self-conscious to face him directly. He knew Izuna wouldn’t mind. “B-but that’s for the bedroom, we're both adults, I should be able to handle a fight!” His voice rose in pitch as his thoughts spiraled inward, only slowed by the gentle motion of Izuna’s chest. 

“Were you uncomfortable?”

 

“Yes, but-”

 

“Scared?”

“I don’t-”

“And you wanted me to stop?”

“...yes”

“Then you used the word correctly, there’s plenty of time to talk about making time for each other, but I did something wrong and I’m so glad you stopped me,” Izuna explained. He knew that his words wouldn’t fully sink in quite yet, but now Tobirama could turn them over in his mind. 

After a few minutes, Tobirama softly spoke up, “I just….you can’t leave like him.” His shoulders slackened as he felt Izuna’s elegant arms tighten around him.

“I won’t,” he said, steely determination in his voice, “and it was wrong of me to try and walk out like that, especially without telling you that I would come back.” He took a moment to draw a shaking breath before finishing his thought. “If you’re alright with it, I’d like to stay here holding you for a while, I’m sure Hikaku will understand.” 

 

All of Tobirama’s thorny fears mellowed and blunted at Izuna’s words. Izuna had him, loved him, and wouldn’t abandon him. They could figure out how to avoid fights like this later, now all he had to do was soak in the affection, fuck his phone call.

“I love you, ‘Zuna”

“I love you too, Tobira.”


End file.
